Silver and Gold
by Kime Tara
Summary: Set during game, before date at Gold Saucer - Aeris' POV as she gets ready to ask Cloud out.


**Silver and Gold**

By Kimetara 

POV

Disclaimer: Do I look as if I own FFVII?  Yes, I realize you can't see me over the internet; it's a theoretical question, sheesh.  -____-;;  But anyway, NO, I do not.  And for good reason, `cause guess what?  I don't!

_"Gold is first place_

_Silver second..."_

          Hmmm.

          We're at the Gold Saucer for the night...odd, how the tram broke down like that.  Oh well.  Technology really isn't my thing anyway.

          At any rate...it'd be the perfect time to ask Cloud for a date.  I'm sure he wouldn't refuse; after all, I did promise.

          I stood up carefully and sneaked into the bathroom.  I didn't want to get _too_ fancy – don't want to freak him out – but I felt like dressing up just a little bit.

          I couldn't help but glance a bit guiltily at Tifa's sleeping form on the bed.  I know she...has feelings for Cloud; it'd be hard not to notice.  I know that it hurt her when I flirted with him...but didn't she say at Corneo's that she and Cloud were just old friends?  That it was nothing?

          Besides...I can't help it.  That's just how I am; I flirt and I like doing it.  How else would you get 100 gil from a flower?

          Speaking of which, as much as I'd like to make up some noble excuse that I only did that to Shinra SOLDIERs, I'd be lying.  We lived in the slums, for heaven's sake.  You took whatever you could get.  And I only flirted men into paying outrageous prices when it looked as if they could afford it – or they were Shinra.

          Flirt, yes, seduce, no.  I wouldn't ever go that far.  I'll use my face to turn their heads and give them a temporary mental shutdown, but not my body.  Tifa's the same way, you know.  She confided in me one day, over half of her "regulars" at her old bar came mostly to stare at her body, although she'd kick any man's behind if he went further than that.

          Tifa...ah, she flirts too.  Different from mine though.  I'm much more open, fun.  Tifa's is more serious and subtle – the secret glances, talking to him whenever she can, always being by his side – in a sense, it's more...I don't know.  It goes deeper than mine.  And I feel rather badly that mine seems to work better, because I think hers _means_ more.

          I peeked back over at her.  Arrgh, I feel so guilty!  But...she had her chances, didn't she?  I mean, she was with him before he even met me.  And she keeps refusing to admit they're anything beyond friends, so I can't help her there.

          ...and even if I could...I don't know if I would.  I really don't.  Cloud isn't Zack, I've finally stopped trying to use him as a replacement, but I'm still...attracted to him.  I'd like to get to know him better, without Zack's ghost in the way.

          Okay, make-up's done.  Now just the jewelry.  Nothing too gaudy, hmmm...there's a nice silver bracelet...  Oh, you know what would really go well with this?  Tifa's silver teardrop earrings.  I wonder if she'd mind if I borrowed them...?  I don't think she would...oh, I'll just return them before she wakes up.  I don't want her to find out about my date with Cloud anyway...  That'd hurt her feelings so much...

          I couldn't resist casting another guilty glance at Tifa as I took her earrings from her small purse.  I almost dropped them though, when I saw her looking back at me.

          Tifa silently got out of bed and crossed the room, while I just stood there, frozen.  Finally, she reached me and simply held her hand out.

         I blinked, not quite sure of what she wanted, until I remembered the earrings.  "Oh," I uttered softly – silly, really, there was nobody in the room but Tifa and me – before placing them in her waiting palm.  

          "Can't I..." I pleaded, before trailing off.  I can't believe I'm asking her!  I'm going on a date with her crush, for goodness sake!

          She's still quiet, gently holding the earrings.  Her gaze flicks up and down over me.  It's rather unnerving, to tell you the truth.

          Her eyes locked with mine for a split second...oh, she knows!  She knows, she knows why I'm sneaking around in the middle of the night, putting make-up on, trying out jewelry...  I steeled myself inwardly, preparing for the attack.

          To my shock, she simply turned and rummaged through her purse.  I could have sagged with relief.  Sure, I'd miss the earrings, but considering the circumstances I was lucky to have gotten off so easily.

          "Here."  I blinked.  She turned around, holding a set of gold earrings, flower-shaped, and a gold bracelet.  "These suit you better."  She looked down at them a bit ruefully.  "My father gave me these, a long time ago...but you can borrow them for tonight."

          I stared.  Had she gone completely insane?

          Hesitantly, I took the jewelry, daring to glance at her eyes as I did so.  They were so sad...she looked...beaten.

          Immediately, I felt awful.  I quickly drew her into a hug, not knowing what else to do.

          "Thank you," I whispered, before letting her go.

          She nodded, her eyes glimmering strangely.  In spite of it, she gave me an encouraging smile.  "Good luck, Aeris."

          I smiled back, then turned to put the jewelry on, being especially gentle with her belongings.  Tifa was right, I noticed.  Gold did look better on me than silver...

          Tifa watched from the bed as Aeris slipped out of their hotel room to Cloud's.  When the door clicked faintly behind her dark form, Tifa closed her eyes, finally allowing her head and tears to fall.

          She stared at the silver earrings in her palm.  She hadn't put them back when she went to give Aeris the gold jewelry.

          *_It's fitting,_* Tifa thought.  _*She's too good for silver..._*  The fighter's fingers clenched tightly over the silver earrings.

          Her silver earrings.

AN: Ahh...I don't really like Aeris that much, but I tried hard to write from her perspective.  ^^;;  I know at the very end it went from first person to third, but that was to fit the whole "silver and gold" part in.  Oh, and by the last line, I wanted to show that Tifa believes silver isn't worthy for Aeris, but it suits herself.  Does that make sense?

Please review!  I really want to know how I did writing from Aeris' POV, because as I mentioned before, she isn't exactly my favorite character in the game...


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